Systems, methods and components for water treatment and remediation

ABSTRACT

A modularizable system for residential water treatment having a low energy requirement to process water for reuse at the residence which results in a reduction in the amount of fossil fuels required to power large water processing stations and transfer ater from water plants to individual residences is disclosed. The system increases availability of water at the residential level in areas where water is a limited or limiting resource (e.g., in arid climates). Furthermore, the amount of water a residence uses in a given cycle is more efficient.

CROSS-REFERENCE

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/917,101, filed May 10, 2007, which application is incorporated hereinby reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to methods, systems, devices and components fortreating and reusing water in smaller venues. Small venues are, forexample residential and small business. The invention relates morespecifically to modularizable systems, components and methods fortreating water available residentially for reuse and/or irrigation.Water sources suitable for the invention include blue water, blackwater, gray water, and water obtained through natural sources (such asrainfall, storm water runoff, and the like).

2. Description of the Background

With our increasing awareness of environmental issues, such as globalwarming, a need has been recognized for ways to preserve and efficientlyuse our natural resources. Large focus and effort has been placed onreduction of dependence on fossil fuel for energy. However, theimportance of the limited supply of another critical resource hasremained largely underappreciated. That resource is water.

It is estimated greater than 75% of the earth's surface is covered inwater, however, only a small fraction of that water is drinkable orusable without treatment. Over 96% of water is ocean, seas and bays. Ofthe 4% of fresh water, 68.7% is trapped in ice caps, glaciers andpermanent snow. (See, earthobservatory.nasa.gov) For example, saltwater, which represents the vast majority of water, requiresdesalination before it is can be used for drinking or other purposes.See, US Pub 20060144789 to Cath for System and Methods for Purificationof Liquids; 20060076294 to Sirkar for Devices and Methods Using DirectContact Membrane Distillation and Vacuum Membrane Distillation;20060076226 to Marcellus for Machine for desalinating salt water, brinewater and impure water and the process for making same and a plant formaking same; 20050189209 to Craven for Fresh Water Extraction Device.The desalination process requires a considerable amount of energy toaccomplish. According to the California Coastal Commission, the cost ofdesalination ranges from 2,500-15,000 kWh/AF (kilowatt hour per acrefoot). (See, http://www.coastal.ca.gov/desalrpt/dchapl.html).

Once water has been used in a residential and/or commercial environment,the resulting water can require elaborate, energy consuming, treatmentbefore it is useable and/or reusable. Even lake and stream water cancarry pathogens capable of making humans sick and therefore treatmentand/or processing of the water to make it safe for human consumption isappropriate.

The typical wastewater stream contains both carbonaceous compounds andnitrogenous compounds (generally present as NH₄ ⁺) exerting an oxygendemand and measured as a biological oxygen demand (BOD). BOD is achemical procedure for determining how fast biological organisms useoxygen (through degradation of organic material) in a body of water. Itis used in water quality management and assessment, ecology andenvironmental science. A BOD₅ test measures the rate of oxygen update bymicro-organisms in a sample of water at a temperature of 20° C. and overan elapsed period of five days in the dark.

In many areas compliance with water pollution control laws requires thatwastewater treatment objectives consider the removal of both nitrogenand phosphorus in addition to the normal reduction of carbonaceouscompounds and suspended solids. Phosphorus and nitrogen-containingcompounds are essential nutrients for cellular growth. As such,continuous release of phosphorous and nitrogen containing water intonatural receiving waters such as rivers and streams has resulted inprogressive fertilization and eutrophication, thereby creatingubiquitous blooms of aquatic vegetation. This, in turn, has endangeredaquatic life and caused a gradual degradation or the quality andesthetics of the water. Since the ultimate growth of these aquaticblooms depends on nutrient availability, reduction in the levels ofphosphorus and nitrogeneous compounds would limit such undesirablegrowth.

Recent demands from governmental agencies are requiring improvedpurification of their waste water. Among others there are focus onorganic compounds, phosphorous compounds and nitrogen containingcompounds. The phosphorous compounds are often removed by an oxidativeprecipitation in which chemicals are added to the waste water andoxidize the phosphorous compounds to phosphates which are precipitatedas sparingly soluble salts. The phosphorous compounds are normallyeither precipitated in a separate tank or in the septic tank

Furthermore, many countries in the world have serious healthconsequences from inadequate access to clean water and/or sufficientwater for bathing and cleaning. Efforts have been taken on the part ofNGOs such as Rotary International to address the need to increase accessto reliable and safe water (See,http://www.rotary.org/aboutrotary/president/boyd/water.html). Indeveloping countries, part of the problem stems from the inaccessibilityto municipal infrastructure providing access within the residentialsetting to blue water (i.e., water that is safe and useful for cooking,cleaning, bathing, and drinking). However, even in the United States andEurope there is an increasing awareness that regardless of how welldesigned the municipal infrastructure, access to water, and its limitedavailability in some regions, has far reaching impact on the communityand the economy. In the U.S., it was recently reported that Las Vegas,one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the United States, ispredicted to run out of water by 2016.

Typically, in the United States, many homes are connected to a municipalwater source that provides an incoming stream of water, referred to as“blue water.” The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) sets thestandard for water by enforces federal clean water and safe drinkingwater laws enforcing federal clean water and safe drinking water laws.There is no such thing as naturally pure water. In nature, all watercontains some impurities. As water flows in streams, sits in lakes, andfilters through layers of soil and rock in the ground, it dissolves orabsorbs the substances that it touches. Some of these substances areharmless. In fact, some people prefer mineral water precisely becauseminerals give it an appealing taste. However, at certain levelsminerals, just like man-made chemicals, are considered contaminants thatcan make water unpalatable or even unsafe.

Some contaminants come from erosion of natural rock formations. Othercontaminants are substances discharged from factories, applied tofarmlands, or used by consumers in their homes and yards. Sources ofcontaminants might be in your neighborhood or might be many miles away.Your local water quality report tells which contaminants are in yourdrinking water, the levels at which they were found, and the actual orlikely source of each contaminant.

Some ground water systems have established wellhead protection programsto prevent substances from contaminating their wells. Similarly, somesurface water systems protect the watershed around their reservoir toprevent contamination. Right now, states and water suppliers are workingsystematically to assess every source of drinking water and to identifypotential sources of contaminants. This process will help communities toprotect their drinking water supplies from contamination, and a summaryof the results will be in future water quality reports.

Blue water is suitable for a variety of household uses and, because ofthe manner in which homes and business are plumbed, is used forapplications that do not require the quality of blue water, e.g.watering the lawn, flushing toilets, etc. As water is used in a typicalhousehold, different qualities of water come out. Three qualities ofwater typically exit the system intermingled into either a municipalsewage system or a septic system. These three types include: blue water,e.g. where a tap of incoming blue water is run until it gets hot beforepulling the stopper in the tub; gray water, e.g., water from thelaundry, shower, bathroom sink, etc. that might have some impurities;and black water, e.g. water from the kitchen sink, dishwasher, andtoilet. According to the USEPA, on average in the United States,residences use 400 gallons of blue water per day, and about 30% isdevoted to outdoor use, such as watering the lawns. Some expertsestimate than more than 50% of commercial and residential irrigationwater goes to waste due to evaporation, runoff, or over-watering. Forpurposes of illustration FIG. 1 illustrates a typical residential waterusage set-up.

Many of the currently available systems are directed to commercial ormunicipal sized water treatment facilities. For example, U.S. Pat. No.3,764,523 to Stankewich Jr. for Nitrification of BOD-Containing Water isdirected to a method for removing both carbon and nitrogen food fromBOD-containing water by biochemical oxidation using oxygen gas in thepresence of activated sludge.

Other efforts have been made to promote awareness of water as a resourceand at least make a crude effort to re-use gray water for landscapeusage. For example, Art Ludwig's Create an Oasis with Greywater:Choosing, Building and Using Greywater Systems (4^(th) Ed. February2006), discusses a variety of ways to save fresh (blue) water andirrigate with wash water. New Water in Australia has developed the AquaReviva system, for treating and recycling household graywater, and RainReviva system, for collecting and storing rainwater under a house (see,www.newwater.com.au). See, PCT Publication WO 2005/095287 to New WaterCorporation for Water Treatment. The Aqua Reviva system comprises acollection cell to balance out variation and composition of gray waterover the day, with an automatic overflow to the sewer. Composite graywater is then pumped through a hair and lint trap to a treatment cellwhere biological treatment, together with chemical and physical removalprocesses take place. The treated effluent is then disinfected via amild bromine disinfection process and held a minimum of 30 minutes.

Thereafter the effluent passes to a reuse cell which is sized to suite ahousehold's reuse requirements. The treatment cell has three replaceablecartridges each capable of treating up to 235 liter/day, with a totalcapacity of 700 liter/day. Another system developed by Oasis ClearWaterNew Zealand is the Clearwater Series 2000 (see,www.oasisclearwater.co.nz). The ClearWater system is not a septic tank.It is an aerated wastewater treatment system comprising five stages oftreatment. Liquid flows through the system by hydraulic disbursement.The wastewater first enters a pretreatment, settlement chamber. Fromthere it flows into a secondary settlement chamber. From the secondarysettlement chamber it passes through a filter where biological andmechanical filtration occurs. From there it passes to a central aerationchamber and then to a clarifier unit. Still another system for aeratedwastewater treatment has been developed by Aqua-nova in Australia (see,www.aquanova.com.au). The Aqua-nova system is also a wastewatertreatment process. Yet another system is developed by BioKube in Denmark(see, www.Biokube.com). The BioKube system provides for biologicalcleaning of sewage water to create water that is reusable forirrigation. The BioKube system breaks down hydrogen sulphide in apre-settlement tank, prior to pumping the wastewater into a cleaningtank. See also, U.S. Patent Publication 2004/0173524 to Hedegaard forMethod of Biologically Purifying Waste Water and a Plant Preferably aMini Purification Plant to be Used by the Method.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An aspect of the invention is directed to a low-maintenance,modularizable system configurable for residential use for treatment ofblack water, gray water and natural source water. The invention includessystems and methods for performing source separation of the water, heavyfiltration (e.g., filtration of large particulate matter items),processing in a surge tank for additional separation of materials,transferring to an aeration tank, final filtration, and optional finalpurification step. The invention relates to methods and systems fortreating and using water residentially.

One advantage of providing a modularizable system for residential watertreatment is the low energy requirement to process water for reuse atthe residence which results in a reduction in the amount of fossil fuelsrequired to power large water processing stations and transfer waterfrom water plants to individual residences. Another advantage is theincreased availability of water at the residential level in areas wherewater is a limited or limiting resource (e.g., in arid climates). Stillanother advantage of the invention is a reduction for a residence in theamount of water a residence uses in a given cycle due to more efficientreuse. Yet another advantage of the invention is the reallocation ofwater by quality for usage, e.g., use of treated gray water for lawncare instead of blue water.

An aspect of the invention is directed to a water treatment system. Thewater treatment system comprises a settlement tank adaptable to receiveeffluent from a source; at least one aerobic treatment tank configurableto receive a settlement tank effluent; a disinfector adaptable todisinfect an effluent from at least one of an anaerobic treatment tankand an aerobic treatment tank; a tester configurable to test aparameter; and a controller configurable to control a process of thewater treatment system in response to the tested parameter.

The anaerobic treatment tank is adaptable to be in communication with ananaerobic digester. Additionally, the anaerobic digester receives sludgefrom the anaerobic treatment tank. Furthermore, a parameter of ananaerobic bacterial activity can be sensed by the tester. Bacterialactivity can then be adjusted by a controller in response to the sensedparameter. Moreover, the aeration tank can be configured such that it isin communication with an aeration source. The aeration source canfurthermore be configurable to deliver an aeration substance. Suitablesubstances include, for example: air, purified oxygen, and ozone. Therate at which the aeration source delivers the aeration substance, orthe rate of the water flow, can be controlled by a regulator.Furthermore, in another aspect, a parameter of the aeration tank issensed by the tester. For example, the rate at which the aerationsubstance is controlled, or the flow rate of the water through thesystem, is determined in response to a parameter measured by the tester.The disinfector can be one or more of an ozonator, an ultraviolet lightsource, a heat source, a distillation system, a reverse osmosis system,and/or a chemical treatment processor. In some embodiments, thedisinfector is activated in response to a parameter measured by thetester. Furthermore, the system can be adapted to test one or more oftotal dissolved solids, electrical conductivity, temperature, color,turbidity, hardness, sediments, acidity, basicity, calciumconcentration, magnesium concentration, sodium concentration, carbonateconcentration, chloride concentration, sulphate concentration, sodiumabsorption ration, boron concentration, trace metal concentration, heavymetal concentration, nitrate-nitrogen concentration,phosphate-phosphorus concentration, potassium concentration,pharmaceutical compounds, hormones, and/or metabolic by-products. Thetester can be controlled by a timer and is configurable to test at atime interval. Furthermore the tester is configurable to providereal-time testing data to the controller, if desired.

Another aspect of the invention discloses a water treatment method. Themethod comprises: receiving an effluent from a source; aerobicallytreating the effluent received from the source; testing a parameter ofthe aerobically treated effluent; and adjusting the aerobic treatment ofthe effluent in response to a result of the tested parameter. The methodcan also include anaerobically treating the effluent from the source.Additional method can comprising the step of adding a reactioncontrolling substance. Additionally, the step of adding a reactioncontrolling substance is in response to the result of the testedparameter. One or more filtration steps can be provided as well as oneor more sterilization steps or processes. The sterilization step can beselected from an ozonator, a UV light source, a heat source, adistillation system, a reverse osmosis system, and/or a chemicaltreatment processor.

Furthermore, one or more sterilization steps or processes can beselected which are then performed the sterilization in sequence, inparallel, or selectively in response to a tested parameter. Furthermorein some embodiments, the output from the system is tested. In otherembodiments, the output of the system is reused onsite. Additionally,the step of separating the effluent received from a source can beperformed.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

All publications, patents, and patent applications mentioned in thisspecification are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent asif each individual publication, patent or patent application wasspecifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity inthe appended claims. A better understanding of the features andadvantages of the present invention will be obtained by reference to thefollowing detailed description that sets forth illustrative embodiments,in which the principles of the invention are utilized, and theaccompanying drawings of which:

FIGS. 1 a-d illustrate a residential water usage system connected to amunicipal sewer or traditional septic system, as described in thebackground, a rain water catchment system currently in use, a depictionof the components of water effluent from a typical home and arepresentation of soil layers;

FIG. 2 illustrates the flow of water under current solutions;

FIGS. 3 a-d illustrate several system designs for treating water onsite;

FIGS. 4 a-b illustrate additional detail for an onsite treatment device;

FIGS. 5 a-b are flow charts illustrating steps engaged in by systems andmethods of the invention; and

FIG. 6 illustrates changes to the flow of water enabled by theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Turning now to FIG. 1 b a rainwater catchment system is shown thatcollects rainwater using gravity flow pressure principles. For example,rainwater runs off the roof of the house into rain gutters. The guttersthen channel the water and empty it into a standpipe. When the standpipehas reached its capacity of 150 gallon, the overflow runs through a pipeand empties into a 900 gallon drum. Two 300 gallon barrels collect theoverflow from the 900 gallon drum and any other overflow drains to thepublic sewer system. Spigots are built into the bottom of the standpipeand the 900 gallon drum. The pressure of the water in the standpipe andthe drum pushes the water out when the spigots are opened. For example,to configure a system a garage roof of 42′×48′, pitched at about 1 to 2,is used as a collector. During a light rainfall 400 gallons a day can becollected. During heavy rains 1500 gallons can be collected in a fewhours. A rule of thumb calculation for square footage vs. amountcollected is, approximately, 400 gallons of water per 1″ rainfall, onour 25×40 foot garage roof.

Gray water is all waste water except toilet and food waste derived fromgarbage disposals. Gray water is characterized in that it contains lessnitrogen than the nitrogen in black water, i.e., water from a toilet. Aswould be appreciated by those skilled in the art, nitrogen is one of themost serious and difficult to remove pollutants affecting any potentialdrinking water supply. Additionally, gray water contains fewer pathogenscapable of spreading organisms via water. Finally, gray water decomposesfaster than black water. As illustrated in FIG. 1 c, gray water istypically comprised of 5% miscellaneous components 1, 10% kitchen water2, 15% laundry water 3, and 30% bathing water 4. The remaining waterused in a typical home, 40%, is from the toilet. The gray watertypically has 50% Phosphorus, 10% Nitrogen and 40% chemical oxygendemand, whereas black water has 50% Phosphorous, 90% Nitrogen and 60%chemical oxygen demand. Water that is discharged onto soil passesthrough an unsaturated zone before reaching the water table and asaturated zone, as shown in FIG. 1 d. Thus the water is essentiallyfiltered by a natural process similar to that of rain water, byessentially a natural process by passing through soil, rock, etc.

In most systems supplying water to residents, including municipalsystems, water is obtained from a source 210 such as a well, river,lake, reservoir, or municipal water source. The water is then conveyedby a water conveyance system 212. Typically water is subjected to somelevel of treatment 214 before being distributed 216 to the end user 220.Once the end user uses the water, e.g., by showering, laundry, cooking,etc., collectable water is collected 220 and transferred to a wastewatertreatment plant 224. The treated water is then either discharged 226,e.g., back into the source 210, or the recycled water goes through atertiary cleaning 230 and is then distributed 232 for use by an enduser. This secondary, post tertiary treatment use is typically municipaluse such as watering greens. See, for example, Redwood City Calif.background on Recycled Water, available athttp://www.redwoodcity.org/publicworks/water/recycling/background.htm.

As shown in Table 1, the California Energy Commission reported that theenergy used in the water delivery cycle is as follows:

TABLE 1 RANGE OF ENERGY INTENSITIES FOR WATER-USE CYCLE SEGMENTS Rangeand Percentage of Energy Intensity (kWh/MG) Percent- Percent- Water-UseCycle Segments Low age High age Water Supply and Conveyance 0 0 1400037.42%  (212) Water Treatment (214) 100  4.35% 16000 42.77%  WaterDistribution (216) 700 30.43% 1200 3.21% Wastewater Collection and 110047.83% 4600 12.30%  Treatment (220, 224) Wastewater Discharge (226) 0   0% 400 1.10% Recycled Water Treatment and 400 17.39% 1200 3.20%Distributions (230, 232) TOTAL 2300  100% 37400  100%See, California's Water-Energy Relationship (WER), Table 1-2, p. 9(publication CEC-700-2005-011-SF). The majority of energy used todeliver water to an end user occurs during the first three steps ofwater supply and conveyance, water treatment and water distribution.Moderate amounts are used in collection, discharge and recycled watertreatment and distribution. In urban Texas, for example, about 25% ofwater usage by an end user is for landscaping purposes alone, while theUSEPA estimates on average about 30% is devoted to outdoor use.Additionally, 40-60% of the water that is used for other than landscapeirrigation and returned to a municipal system is essentially gray water(as evident from FIG. 1C). Thus, reducing the amount of water suppliedin turn reduces the amount of energy required to transport the water.

FIGS. 3 a-d illustrate a variety of operational designs for the systemsof the invention. In FIG. 3 a, blue water 20 is received from a source,for example a municipal water supply or well water, into a house 10,condominium, townhouse, or small commercial venue. The water 20 is usedonsite by the user and the used water exits the house. The exiting watercan be source separated 350, for example, by separately plumbing thewater sources or by providing one or more sensors in line to identifythe quality of the water as either black water 322, (e.g., 90% nitrogenand 60% chemical oxygen demand) or gray water 324 and blue water 326(e.g., 10% nitrogen and 40% chemical oxygen demand). The water is then,for example, either directed to the municipal waste system or an onsiteblack water septic system 340, as would be the case for the black water,or to an onsite water system 360, as is the case with the gray water 324or gray water mixed with blue water 326. Once the water has beenprocessed by the onsite water system 360 it is used onsite 370 to, forexample, water the lawn, thereby replenishing the water table locally.This immediate onsite use, reduces the demand for water up to 30% andreduces the amount of energy required to deliver water based on theoverall reduction in water delivery. Additionally, local use replenishesthe water table reducing the impact of subsidence.

In another system, illustrated in FIG. 3 b, the blue water and blackwater exits the house 10 and is then processed through a separator 350configurable to separate the water based on its quality. The separatorachieves separation of the water by use of a controller in communicationwith one or more sensors adapted to determine a parameter of the waterexiting the house. Based on the measured parameter, the controllercontrols whether the water is processed by the gray water system or theblack water/municipal system As with the previous system, the separatedwater is either transferred to, for example, a municipal waste system340 or processed for re-use via an onsite system 360. Onsite useincludes, for example landscape irrigation, both drip irrigation andtraditional irrigation, as well as other household uses including, forexample, laundry and bathroom.

As shown in FIG. 3 c, the water is not separated, but rather all of thewater (gray water and black water) is treated onsite in a single systemfor direct re-use. In still another system, shown in FIG. 3 d, the wateris treated by the onsite system 360. After exiting the onsite system 360the treated water is then optionally separated 350, if needed, dependingupon whether the water is clean enough for onsite reuse. Water that isnot clean enough for reuse is either returned to the onsite system 360for further processing or delivered to, for example, the municipal wastesystem 340.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the separationportion of the system can operate by, for example, separating water inresponse to a result of a parameter sensed by a sensor position at oneor more locations within the fluid stream. In response to the sensedparameter, a valve can be activated that directs the traveling fluid inone direction or another. By providing more than one sensor in line, achanging parameter can be detected early to activate the separator.Typically the separator will be activated such that if an undesirableparameter is detected, the separator will be activated early to ensurediversion of the detected fluid. This early diversion may also capturefluid that has, for example, gray water parameters. Furthermore, one ormore separators can be provided in the system, such that separationoccurs at more that one location during the process. The separator istypically controlled by a sensor connected to a controller.

Turning now to FIGS. 4 a-b, additional details of the onsite systems ofFIGS. 3 a-d are provided. Water comes into the system from a source 60.The water can flow though a biodegrading zone at such a rate thatsettlement occurs in a first step. A suitable rate can be determined byfirst determining the average settle rate of the particles in the waterand then adjusting the flow rate by the use of a controller such thatthe water remains in the zone longer than it takes for an averageparticle to sink from the top of the zone to the bottom. The settlementcan settle any desired fraction of the particles by adjusting the flowrate of water to settle rate for the desire fraction. The feed of thebacteria is also adjusted in response to the adjustment of the flow ofthe water. The source can be any water available from the siteincluding, but not limited to, blue water, black water, gray water,rainwater (e.g., from a rainwater catchment system), and the like. Wateris collected from one or more sources and collected in a settlement tank410.

The settlement tank 410 is adaptable to connect to a controller and apower source. Sludge 412 from the settlement tank 410 collects at thebottom of the tank, or in a container in communication with the tank.The sludge 412 can be withdrawn from the tank and optionally processedthrough an anaerobic digester 414 in order to generate energy. From thesettlement tank, fluid is passed to one or more aeration tanks 420, 426.The one or more tanks can be connected to one or more sources ofaeration. Controlling the flow of wastewater traveling through thesystem over the time and/or the amount of aeration or ozonation canfacilitate and optimize the conditions for the microorganisms as the“day rhythm peaks” are neutralized. As a result, better bacteria growthconditions are achieved which results in better purification of thewater.

Aeration can further be controlled by one or more regulators 423, 429,or controllers. In some instances it may be desirable to have a singleregulator and a single aeration source for two aeration tanks, in otherconfigurations it may be desirable to have each aeration tank controlledby its own regulator and aeration source. Once the fluid passes throughthe one or more aeration tanks, the fluid is applied to one or moredisinfectors. The disinfectors can be arranged in series or in parallelrelative to the outflow of the aeration tank. The disinfector 430 canbe, for example, an ozonator, ozonizer, a UV light source, a heatsource, a distillation system, a reverse osmosis system, and/or achemical treatment processor. Once the fluid passes through the one ormore disinfectors, the fluid is tested 450 and the tested effluent 490,if sufficiently clean, is then reused onsite. Furthermore, where morethan one disinfector is provided, the disinfector can be activated inseries, in parallel or selectively activated in response to a parameterfrom the tester.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, one or more testerscan be provided. For example, a tester can also be configurable to testthe water in the aeration tank. Suitable testers would be apparent tothose skilled in the art and can include, for example, pH testers,bacteria testers, etc. to determine the water quality and whether andhow much bacteria or other materials known to those skilled in the artthat would impact the rate of the biological reaction should be added toassist in the water treatment process. Testing of the water can occur attimed intervals, e.g. in response to a controller, at several pointsalong the process, if desired, including when water is initially placedinto the tank. A timer can be configurable to communicate with thetester to facilitate timed testing of the water. The bacterial growthsurface can then be configurable to expose bacteria to the waterenvironment in the chamber in a time release fashion, by, for example,coating the surface with a material which dissolves over time to exposea predetermined amount of bacteria. In another embodiment, bacteria ismaintained in a bacteria release container which then releases aselected amount of bacteria at intervals, either on demand, or as aresult of time release.

The biological oxidation occurs in at least two stages. First, at leasta portion of organic pollutants are at least partially gas-treated,e.g., by aeration, in the presence of activated sludge. Second, thetreated wastewater-activated sludge mixture is discharged from thetreatment stages, and divided in a post clarification stage intopurified water and sludge. The sludge divided in the post clarificationstage is at least partially recycled into the treatment stages.

The activated sludge method is typically a mixed system of bacteria andprotozoa, wherein the bacteria in the activated sludge digests dissolvedorganic materials in waste water in an aeration tank, and the protozoa(such as Vorticella, Epistylis, Opercularia, Carchesium, Paramecium, andColpidium) prey upon the propagated bacteria. Generation time ofbacteria can be as short as 20 to 120 minutes, whereas the life span ofthe protozoa is, for example, as long as 10 hours in the case ofParamecium. An oxygen utilization rate is so low that a rate of air tobe diffused into an aeration tank is low, and an estimated OTR value isabout 1 mmol O₂/l hr at most. Thus, the treating rate is low, and atreatment of waste water containing organic materials at a highconcentration is difficult.

In some embodiments, activated sludge consisting mainly of bacteriahaving a short generation time, that is, a high growth rate, and carriedout waste water treatments by increasing an OTR value to a liquid in anaeration tank, acclimating activated sludge, and particularly utilizinga flocculant consisting mainly or bacteria may be desirable. Ahigh-efficient activated sludge treatment of waste water containingorganic materials can then be carried out by introducing the waste waterinto an aeration tank, and effecting aeration treatment of the wastewater by supplying oxygen (which may be in the form of air, or ozone) tothe tank in the presence of activated sludge, where the oxidation of theorganic materials is carried out at an oxygen transfer rate of 5 to 80mmol O₂/l•hr to the tank, and especially a flocculant consisting mainlyof bacteria is formed at an oxygen transfer rate of at least 10 mmolO₂/l•hr. Aerobic micro-organisms convert unstable pollutants intostable, non-putrescible compounds.

Thus, combining, for example, untreated waste water in an aeration tankwith a well aerated activated sludge which is super-abundant withaerobic micro-organisms can be used to convert unstable pollutants intostable compounds. The rate at which this conversion occurs can furtherbe controlled by the amount of aeration of the sludge. Themicro-organisms adsorb and absorb suspended and dissolved pollutantsfrom the untreated waste water as they are further stimulated by theaddition of dissolved oxygen to reduce the pollutants to stablecompounds.

The mixed liquor, of micro-organisms and stable compounds can thenconveyed into a clarifier tank, if desired. In the clarifier, thesolids, aerobic micro-organisms and stable compounds, are induced toseparate from the water transport media and settle to the bottom of theclarifier. The solids are then returned to the incoming end of theaeration tank as super-abundant micro-organisms.

Wastewater is conventionally initially mixed, in the first stage, withactivated sludge with the simultaneous introduction of molecular oxygenin the form of air, gas having a higher oxygen concentration than air,or ozone. By virtue of the activity of the aerobic microorganismscontained in the activated sludge, the organic pollutants of thewastewater are, decomposed or degraded, the specific mechanism beingconversion, in part, into bacterial substance and, in part, into CO₂ andwater. The overall effect in the first stage is an oxidation of thecarbon compounds of the fluid coming into the system. The microorganismsin this stage require oxygen to maintain their metabolic function, aswell as for growth and multiplication, for rapidly degrading the organicsubstances in the wastewater. The microorganisms are relatively compact,i.e., sufficiently low density and low surface to volume ratio, so thatthey can be removed as settled sludge in a post clarification tank. Thepurified wastewater and sludge are then discharged from the postclarification tank. A portion of the discharged sludge, containingsettled microorganisms, is recycled into the first treatment stage tomaintain a desired quantity of microorganisms in thewastewater-activated sludge mixture, whereby the biological processoperates continuously.

Sludge can be transported at a variable rate throughout the day toessentially feed the plant an amount of sludge that is optimized tocorrespond to an amount of water being processed. In some embodiments, apurified water rich in nitrate denitrification is processed. Thepresence of nitrate, enables a cheaper phosphorous precipitation to beobtained.

In addition to the biological degradation of the organic substance, achemical degradation can simultaneously be conducted in a second stagecomprising oxidizing ammonium nitrogen to nitrite and nitrate in thepresence of primarily autotrophic bacteria. The bacteria in this secondstage is supplied with air or a gas having a larger volume % of oxygenthan air. The chemical degradation conducted in the second stage is thenitrification of the wastewater, and is conducted in most cases afterthe major portion of biological degradation has occurred in the firststage. An intermediate clarification tank can be provided between thefirst and second stages.

Treatment of the wastewater at least in part with gas (air, oxygen,ozone) in the presence of activated sludge to conduct biologicaldegradation of organic substrate, results in a waste-water activatedsludge mixture that is withdrawn from the treatment zones and dividedinto purified water and activated sludge. The activated sludge can thenat least partially recycled into the treatment zones, and/or processedby a bioreactor. Nitrification in at least one of the treatment stagesin the presence of a macroporous carrier material for carryingnitrifying bacteria also occurs. The treatment of wastewater at least inpart with gas is controlled, real time, in response to a parameterdetected by a sensor within the system such that more or less gas isprovided to the system to either speed up or slow down the reaction.Parameters include, but are not limited to pH. For example, pH in therange of 6.5 to 8.4 would be considered a suitable pH for irrigationwater.

Other parameters of interest include, for example, total saltconcentration, electrical conductivity, sodium absorption ratio, thepresence of toxic ions, and the presence of trace elements and heavymetals. The parameters may be relevant to controlling the reaction by,for example, changing the rate of flow of the waste water and/or sludge,changing the rate of aeration, and/or changing the rate at which areaction enhancing additive is provided to the system.

Additional parameters are provided in Table 2:

TABLE 2 WASTEWATER MEASURABLE PARAMETERS Parameters Symbol Unit PhysicalTotal dissolved solids TDS mg/l Electrical conductivity Ec_(w) dS/m¹Temperature T ° C. Color/Turbidity NTU/JTU² Hardness mg equiv. CaCO₃/lSediments g/l Chemical Acidity/Basicity pH Type and concentration ofanions and cations: Calcium Ca⁺⁺ me/l³ Magnesium Mg⁺⁺ me/l Sodium Na⁺me/l Carbonate CO₃ ⁻ me/l Bicarbonate HCO₃ ⁻ me/l Chloride Cl⁻ me/lSulphate SO₄ ⁻ me/l Sodium adsorption ratio SAR Boron B mg/l⁴ Tracemetals mg/l Heavy metals mg/l Nitrate-Nitrogen NO₃—N mg/l PhosphatePhosphorus PO₄—P mg/l Potassium K mg/l Pharmaceutical Compounds mg/lHormones mg/l Metabolic by products mg/l

The use of a macroporous substance having a low specific gravity as thecarrier or substrate material for the nitrifying bacteria provides alarge active surface area for colonization, thereby permitting thebacteria colonies to be distributed uniformly throughout the treatmentsystem. By being cultivated in the macropoles of the substrate material,the nitrifying bacteria are thus forced to grow in a decentralized mode,whereby a substantially larger mass transfer area is obtained than inthe case of the conventional flocculant activated sludge. Because theBOD load in the second stage is minor, there is no significant danger ofan excessive sludge production due to autoxidation, irrespective of thehigh surface area exposed to microbiological growth. Since thenitrifying bacteria are also firmly fixed in the macropores of thecarrier material, and the latter can be readily retained in the reactor,the danger that the nitrifying bacteria might drift off into thedrainage canal is eliminated, thus permitting the secondary stage to beoperated without a post clarification stage. Simultaneously, thefloating sludge problem is also removed, which otherwise occurs in apost clarification stage due to denitrification problems. The use, forexample, of a low specific gravity carrier, assuming this carrier is inthe form of relatively small discrete particles, facilitates vigorouscirculation means of the oxygen-containing gas (air and/or industrialoxygen and/or ozone) introduced into the reactor in the form of fine,e.g. 0.1 to 1.5 mm, medium-sized, e.g. 1.5 to 3 mm, or larger, e.g. 3 to10 mm bubbles to maintain the nitrification process. The resultantturbulence can optionally be intensified by the use of mechanical means,e.g., a circulating pump or stirrer. In one embodiment, a polyurethanefoam is used as a carrier material.

Anaerobic zones may be created inside the carrier by limiting theconcentration of the dissolved oxygen in a particular location to about1 to 3 mg O₂/l or by selecting the diameter of the individual particlesto be within the upper range, e.g., preferably about 15 to 50 mm of thevalues indicated, whereby denitrification also takes place in thereactor in addition to the nitrification. The anaerobic zones may becontrolled by a controller which adjusts the amount of dissolved oxygenmade available to the location.

In order to promote the biochemical removal of organic waste by aerobicbacteria and other biological life as just described, it is necessary toprovide sufficient oxygen to support the aerobic biological activity. Tothis end, in the aeration stage of the typical activated sludge processof sewage treatment, bubbles of air have been introduced into the mixedliquor in the aeration tank. Air contain only about 23 percent by dryweight of oxygen, thus it is advantageous to administer bubbles ofoxygen enriched gas containing as much as 90 or 95 percent of oxygen byweight.

In a one-stage activated sludge sewage system, clarified supernatantliquid is drawn off from the top of the settling and clarifying tank andmay then discharged. In a two-stage activated sludge system, thesupernatant liquid from the settling and clarifying tank is introducedinto a further oxygenation or oxygen treatment zone wherenitrification—that is the conversion of dissolved ammonia to nitratesalts—takes place. The nitrification tank is, in turn, followed by asettling and clarifying tank from which settled activated sludge isreturned to the nitrification tank, and from which supernatant liquidmay if desired be discharged as plant effluent.

Activated sludge alone does not achieve complete purification of theaqueous waste material being treated. Thus, in a typical activatedsludge sewage treatment plant of either the one-stage or two-stage type,organic waste ordinarily remains in the supernatant liquid flowing fromthe final settling and clarifying tank in an amount producing a fecalcoli count of up to as much as 10⁵ for every 100 cc of effluent.

As a practical matter, the effluent discharged from any such plantwithout further treatment is bound to contain a significant amount ofoxidizable material representing Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), includingbiodegradable organic matter representing residual Biological OxygenDemand (BOD). While most of the BOD fed to an activated sludge treatmentsystem is assimilated by the aerobic bacteria in the system, even in awell operated plant there will unavoidably be residual BOD in theeffluent consisting of highly dispersed bacteria that escapedsedimentation and removal.

The bacteria include potentially pathogenic forms, and in addition theeffluent win contain other pathogenic agents in the form of viruses. Thedischarge of these bacteria and viruses into public waters could promotethe spread of communicable diseases, and additional treatment bydisinfection is therefore ordinarily required by public health lawsbefore plant effluents are discharged to the receiving waters. As anexample, the regulations of the United States Environmental ProtectionAgency require that the fecal coli count of treated sewage effluent beno greater than 200 per 100 cc. of effluent. Such disinfection hasconventionally been accomplished by the use of various chlorinatingagents which have been found to have an effective bactericidal action.

The effectiveness of ozone as a general disinfecting agent has beenknown for a very long time. As one example, the well known bactericidalproperties of ozone have led to the use of ozone, particularly inEurope, for the sterilization of drinking water.

Treatment of the effluent of sewage treatment plants with ozone—in theform of air or oxygen containing a few percent of ozone—has been widelysuggested as an alternative to chlorination. Ozonation of sewagetreatment plant effluent has been found to be very effective fordisinfection of the effluent. Additionally, ozonation can impact thespeed of the reaction. However, it has not been available on a scale tomake it commercially feasible to include in an onsite water treatmentsystem.

Real time testing and regulating of the water treatment process at oneor more locations and times during processing enables the onsite watersystem to achieve water quality sufficient to enable local re-use of thewater.

Turning now to FIG. 4 b a system is illustrated showing the elements ofa system for treating at least gray water. Additional systems can be setup either in sequence or in parallel. Once source separation isachieved, parallel treatment systems that are targeted toward the sourceof the water while taking into consideration the climate and ecosystemof the system installation can be deployed without departing from thescope of the invention.

As illustrated, water is separated by source where the sources areidentified as household gray water, household black water and naturalsources (e.g., rainwater). For purposes of simplifying the explanation,a single system for treatment is illustrated. However, as would beappreciated by those skilled in the art, the system is designed to bemodular and compact in order to facilitate residential use (e.g., in therange of 10-2500 gallons of water/day; storage capacities of 500-25,000gallons with a size configurable to store the target number of gallons).Additionally the system can be designed in parallel such that once thewater is separated by source, each source separated water enters its owntreatment system and thereafter is combined for return to the residence,or is separately returned to the residence as a function of the source(e.g., black water, treated and returned to the house for use in thetoilet; gray water, treated and returned to the house for laundry use,etc.).

Large particulate matter can be removed, for example, a coursefiltration filter 402. Suitable filters include, for example, a nylonstocking, or paper filter. The filter system 402 can be configured in avariety of ways that would be apparent to those skilled in the art. Onemechanism provides for a rotating canister filter system thatcommunicates the status of the filter to a controller. Once the filterceases to efficiently process water (e.g., the filter is full), thecanister rotates to expose a new filter. Such a rotating filter canisterdecreases the frequency at which maintenance is performed on the system.Additionally, the filter can be configurable to contain one or moresensors that detect the presence of or an amount that exceeds a presetlimit of material that would be harmful to the water treatment system orwhich might impact the biological activity of the system (e.g.,bleach,). In such an event, the sensor can send a signal to a controlvalve down stream that prevents the passage of water to the system andissues an alarm that the system requires maintenance or attention.

Once the water passes through the course filter 402, the water is placedinto a settlement tank 410, or surge tank, for holding. As discussedabove, while the water is in the settlement tank 410, additionalmaterials may either settle to the bottom of the tank or float to thetop, where it can be removed. After this optional second stage ofremoval, water is then transferred to the aeration tank 426 where thewater is stirred (e.g., with a paddle or mixer) which causes aeration ofthe water. Additionally, or in the alternative, oxygen can be added tothe water in the aeration tank or any other technique can be used tocause controlled aeration. Aeration of the water is useful to preventharmful bacteria from propagating in the water. The disinfector 430 canbe, for example, an ozonator, a UV light source, a heat source, adistillation system, a reverse osmosis system, and/or a chemicaltreatment processor. The systems can be controlled or regulated by oneor more regulators 440 configurable to adjust a parameter in response toa control signal. Furthermore, where more than one disinfector isprovided, the disinfector can be activated in series, in parallel orselectively activated in response to a parameter from the tester.

Additional filters can be provided in the system as well withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention. Additional tanks can also beprovided without departing from the scope of the invention.

For example, a tester can also be configurable to test the water in theaeration tank. Suitable testers would be apparent to those skilled inthe art and can include, for example, pH testers, bacteria testers, etc.to determine the water quality and whether and how much bacteria orother materials known to those skilled in the art that would impact therate of the biological reaction should be added to assist in the watertreatment process. Testing of the water can occur at timed intervals,e.g. in response to a controller, at several points along the process,if desired, including when water is initially placed into the tank. Atimer can be configurable to communicate with the tester to facilitatetimed testing of the water. The bacterial growth surface can then beconfigurable to expose bacterial to the water environment in the chamberin a time release fashion, by, for example, coating the surface with amaterial which dissolves over time to expose a predetermined amount ofbacteria. In another embodiment, bacteria is maintained in a bacteriarelease container which then releases a selected amount of bacteria atintervals, either on demand, or as a result of time release.

Additionally, a control mechanism can be provided which controls theoperation of the sub-systems, for example, the rate and/or timing oftesting, the rate and/or timing of bacteria addition, the rate and/ortiming of aeration (stirring or oxygen addition). Additionally, thecontrol mechanism can be configurable to receive input from any of thesub-systems, such as the testing device, the bacteria delivery device orthe aeration system. Information in the control mechanism can then beused to determine intervals for further bacteria or oxygen deliveryand/or testing. Additionally the control mechanism can be adapted tosignal an alarm if the water quality levels indicate that a filter needsservicing. Additionally, or in the alternative, the control mechanismcan be configurable to communicate with a remote or central station toidentify water quality levels, bacteria levels (either in the water, orin the bacteria delivery system), as well as filter replacement andsystem servicing requirements.

If required, as discussed above, bacteria are added from a bacteriadispenser to aeration tank 426 to further assist in the treatment of thewater. Addition of bacteria can be controlled by the controller inresponse to testing results and/or by the central station. Thereafter,the water is tested at least one more time before transferring to afinal filtration unit. Suitable filter mechanisms would be apparent tothose skilled in the art. Similar to the filters described above, arotating canister filter system that communicates the status of thefilter to a controller can be used. Once the filter ceases toefficiently process water (e.g., the filter is full), the canisterrotates to expose a new filter. Such a rotating filter canisterdecreases the frequency at which maintenance is performed. After finalfiltration, the water can be further tested and/or purified, e.g. bytreatment with U.V. light or ozonation prior to returning the water forresidential use (whether landscaping or inside).

Turning now to FIG. 5 a, a flow chart is illustrated that sets forthsteps of a method of performing the invention. In an initial optionalstep, water entering a system is identified and separated by source 510.Typically, water is separated into gray water and black water.Separation can be achieved using suitable mechanical means, e.g.,separate plumbing as would currently be required by most residentialbuilding codes in the United States, or by using one or more waterquality sensors that are provided at an input (e.g., along an inputpipe). Once the water is separated, each of the separated waters can beseparately treated in its own modularized treatment system, or, forexample, black water can be directed into a municipal sewage systemwhile gray water and/or natural source water (such as rain waterobtained through a catchment system) is directed into its ownmodularized treatment system, or the same treatment system. Theseparation step can be performed at an initial stage or later on in theprocess as will be appreciated by reviewing FIGS. 3 a-d.

Once the water is separated by source, large particulate matter may beremoved by, for example, course filtration 512, such as, for example, byusing a nylon stocking, paper filter, or other suitable filter mechanismcapable of capturing larger particles.

Conventionally, installations for treating water with a view to makingit potable generally comprise a succession of physical/chemicaltreatment units of the flocculation/decantation/filtration type,complemented by an oxidation unit.

Flocculation may also be employed, which constitutes a physical/chemicalstep designed to modify the state of the colloidal particles containedin the water by the addition of, for example, a coagulant. (aluminumchloride polymer, alumina sulfate, ferric chloride, etc.) in order toenable their elimination by decantation.

Microorganisms, micropollutants, compounds (ferrous iron, manganese,etc.) that cannot be eliminated by flocculation are, for their part,destroyed by the use of powerful oxidants such as ozone, chlorine oragain chloride dioxide. The elimination of the micropollutants can alsobe done by stripping (forced air circulation) if they are volatile or byadsorption on activated carbon. The latter methods have the drawbackhowever of not destroying the pollution unlike the oxidants. Ozone canbe used, alone or in combination with hydrogen peroxide or ultravioletradiation, to make consumption water potable. A standard installationfor the treatment of water with a view to making it potable could thusbe constituted by a flocculation unit followed by a decantation unit, afiltration unit (for example on sand), an ozonization unit, a filtrationunit on granular or powdered activated carbon and finally a disinfectionunit.

The filtration units conventionally used in such potable-waterinstallations may advantageously have two layers of filtering materialsand notably a first layer of granular carbon placed above a second layerof sand. The use of such superimposed layers of filtering materialsmakes it possible to obtain an efficient retention of the particlescontained in the water to be treated provided that the beds of granularmaterials are regularly washed. Once the water has been course filtered512, the water is placed into a settlement tank 514 or surge tank forholding. While the water is in the settlement tank, additional non-watermaterials may either settle to the bottom of the tank, or float to thetop, where the materials can be removed, e.g. by skimming the top of thewater with a paddle to remove the film. Anaerobic processing typicallyoccurs in the settlement tank. Furthermore, testing 521 and addition ofmaterials, such as bacterial or enzymes, can also be performed tooptimize the performance of the anaerobic processing in the settlementtank.

Water is then transferred from the settlement tank 514 to an aerationtank 516 where the water is aerated (e.g., stirred with a paddle ormixer or aerated via a bubbler). Oxygen or ozone can be added to providean additional level of aeration (e.g. using a bubbler or aerationsystem). Furthermore the rate at which oxygen or ozone is added can beadjusted to optimize the aeration process. The adjustment of the rate ofdelivery of oxygen or ozone can, furthermore, be in response to a senseparameter from the aeration tank. Testing 520 can occur on a continualor regular basis to facilitate this process.

Additionally, testing 520 of the water may occur (such as pH, bacteriacount, etc.) by providing a tester configurable to determine whether andhow much bacteria should be added to assist in process. Any parameterappropriate for measuring, as identified by those skilled in the art,are contemplated.

Testing can occur at timed intervals, if desired, or when water isinitially placed into the tank or continuously. If required, bacteria orother material are added to aeration tank to further assist in thetreatment of the water. Suitable bacteria are available to those skilledin the art, for example from Acorn Biotechnical Corporation, whichmanufactures bacterial cultures and enzymes for use in cleaningcompounds and water treatment, Acorn Biotechnical Corporation, BioExportLtd., Bioscience, Inc., and others that would be known to those skilledin the art.

In one embodiment, bacteria may be added by providing a bacteria growthsurface within the aeration chamber which has a large surface area ofcontact with water (e.g., by providing tubules or grids) which has beenembedded with bacteria. Thereafter, the water is tested at least onemore time before transferring to an optional final filtration 218 unit.After final filtration, the water can be further tested and/or purifiedprior to returning the water for residential use (whether landscaping orinside). Testing and/or bacteria addition can be controlled by acontroller within the device and/or by a central station to which acontroller within the device is adapted to communicate.

One or more sterilization 524 process can optionally be performed. Theoutput 526 can be forwarded to the municipal sewage system 532 or reusedon site 530. Prior to onsite reuse, the output 526 is tested again todetermine whether the output meets desired parameters for reuse.

Turning now to FIG. 5 b, a flow chart is illustrated that sets forthsteps of a method of performing the invention. Water, such aswastewater, from a source is delivered directly to the settlement tank514. An optional separation step can be performed using suitablemechanical means, e.g., separate plumbing as would currently be requiredby most residential building codes in the United States, or by using oneor more water quality sensors that are provided at an input (e.g., alongan input pipe) at various stages, if desired. The separation step can beperformed at an initial stage or later on in the process as will beappreciated by reviewing FIGS. 3 a-d.

As discussed above, installations for treating water with a view tomaking it potable generally comprise a succession of physical/chemicaltreatment units of the flocculation/decantation/filtration type,complemented by an oxidation unit.

While the water is in the settlement tank, additional non-watermaterials may either settle to the bottom of the tank, or float to thetop, where the materials can be removed, e.g. by skimming the top of thewater with a paddle to remove the film. Anaerobic processing typicallyoccurs in the settlement tank. Furthermore, testing 521 and selectivelycontrollable addition of materials, such as bacterial or enzymes, canalso be performed to optimize the performance of the anaerobicprocessing in the settlement tank.

Water is then transferred from the settlement tank 514 to an aerationtank 516 where the water is aerated (e.g., stirred with a paddle ormixer or aerated via a bubbler). Oxygen or ozone, for example, can beadded in the reaction controlling step 522 to provide an additionallevel of aeration (e.g. using a bubbler or aeration system).

Furthermore the rate at which oxygen or ozone is added can be adjustedto optimize the aeration process. The adjustment of the rate of deliveryof oxygen or ozone can, furthermore, be in response to a sense parameterfrom the aeration tank. Testing 520 can occur on a continual or regularbasis to facilitate this process. Alternatively, the rate at which wateris processed through the system can be adjusted.

Additionally, testing 520 of the water may occur (such as pH, bacteriacount, etc.) by providing a tester configurable to determine whether andhow much bacteria should be added to assist in process. Any parameterappropriate for measuring, as identified by those skilled in the art,are contemplated.

Testing can occur at timed intervals, if desired, or when water isinitially placed into the tank of continuously. If required, bacteria orother material are added to aeration tank to further assist in thetreatment of the water. Suitable bacteria are available to those skilledin the art, for example from Acorn Biotechnical Corporation, whichmanufactures bacterial cultures and enzymes for use in cleaningcompounds and water treatment, Acorn Biotechnical Corporation, BioExportLtd., Bioscience, Inc., and others that would be known to those skilledin the art.

In one embodiment, bacteria may be added by providing a bacteria growthsurface within the aeration chamber which has a large surface area ofcontact with water (e.g., by providing tubules or grids) which has beenembedded with bacteria. Thereafter, the water is tested at least onemore time before transferring to an optional final filtration 218 unit.After final filtration, the water can be further tested and/or purifiedprior to returning the water for residential use (whether landscaping orinside). Testing and/or bacteria addition can be controlled by acontroller within the device and/or by a central station to which acontroller within the device is adapted to communicate.

One or more sterilization 524 processes and testing 521 processes canoptionally be performed. The output 526 can be forwarded to themunicipal sewage system 532 or reused on site 530. Prior to onsitereuse, the output 526 is tested again to determine whether the outputmeets desired parameters for reuse.

The current use of water is shown in FIG. 2. Water processing enabled bythis invention substantially changes the manner in which water is usedand processed and the amount of energy used to process water asillustrated in FIG. 6. Water would still be obtained from a source 610such as a well, river, lake, reservoir, or municipal water source. Thewater would then conveyed by a water conveyance system 612 and subjectedto some level of treatment 614 before being distributed 616 to the enduser 620. However, once the end user uses the water, e.g., by showering,laundry, cooking, etc., collectable water is collected 622 and subjectedto treatment 624. The treated water is then either discharged 626, e.g.,back into the source 610, or reused 632 by the original end user onsiteafter testing 636. Additionally, some energy generation 634 may occurduring the treatment process further reducing the energy load of thesystem. Additionally, as will be appreciated by those skilled in theart, the sub-steps 640 occur onsite instead of remotely.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, much organic wastecontains various substances that, when treated properly, can beconverted to methane (CH₄). Methane production by known biologicaltreatment processes, such as anaerobic fermentation (also calledanaerobic digestion), involves the conversion of organic matter tomethane and carbon dioxide at modest temperatures, ambient pressures,and nearly neutral pH. Anaerobic fermentation is typically carried outin the absence of exogenous electron acceptors such as oxygen, nitrate,and sulfate through a series of microbial interactions. Conventionalanaerobic fermentation is often used for waste water treatment.

Methanogens (i.e., methane-producing bacteria) have been studied fortheir utility in digestion processes for producing methane. Because ofthe limited number of substrates catabolized by methanogens, however, todegrade complex organic substrates to methane by anaerobic digestion,other organisms are necessary as well. A typical anaerobic digester,therefore, will normally contain a mixture of fermentative bacteria,acetogenic bacteria, and methanogenic bacteria.

Fermentative bacteria convert hydrolyzed polymers (soluble sugars,peptides, and long chain fatty acids) to organic acid and alcoholintermediates. These intermediates are then converted into hydrogen,carbon dioxide, and acetic acid by acetogenic bacteria, followed byconversion of the hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and acetic acid into methaneby the methanogenic bacteria. The conversion of the acid and alcoholintermediates into methane is slow, relative to the rates of conversionof hydrogen and carbon dioxide into methane. Thus, in some embodiments,an anaerobic digester can be provided in the system. To enhance theperformance of the anaerobic digester, the digester can be adapted andconfigures such that it is maintained in a “green house” environment atan elevated temperature ranging from about 20° C. to about 55° C. Thegreen house preferably utilizes a solar energy source to maintain theelevated temperature. Sludge obtained is passed through the anaerobicdigester for the generation of additional biogas. The organic materialis then converted to electricity by, for example, collecting the sludge,generating a refined biogas component containing sulfer from the sludgeand introducing the suffer-containing biogas component into ahigh-temperature sulfer tolerant fuel cell. The fuel cell then convertsthe biogas component to electricity by an electrochemical processwithout significant degradation of the performance of the fuel cell.

Additionally, as described above, ultraviolet (UV) light can be used inthe system. For example, UV light can be applied to the water exitingthe system to provide an additional sterilization process. Additionally,UV can be used to assist in the ozonation water treatment process.

TABLE 3 POTENTIAL ENERGY INTENSITY SAVINGS FOR WATER-USE CYCLE SEGMENTSRange and Percentage of Energy Intensity (kWh/MG) Kilowatthours/Millions of Gallon Water-Use Cycle Percent- Percent- Segments Lowage High age Water Supply and 0 0 14000 37.42% Conveyance (612) WaterTreatment (614) 45 4.35% 7200 42.77% Water Distribution (616) 31530.43%  540  3.21% Wastewater Collection 0 0 and Treatment (620, 624)Wastewater Discharge 0   0% 0 (626) Recycled Water 0 0 Treatment andDistributions (630, 632) TOTAL 360  100% 21740  100% Potential EnergySavings 1940 15930 Percentage Allocated 15.65% 57.41% Savings per EndUser

Because the water is processed and tested onsite, the energy requiredfor supply and conveyance 612, treatment 614 and distribution 616 isreduced. One aspect of the reduction is directly proportional to thefact that roughly 20-30% of water is used for landscaping purposes.Drawing water for purpose of landscaping would substantially beeliminated thereby reducing the water supply and conveyance amount onaverage 25%. Further reduction in energy demand would be achievedbecause up to 60% of water used onsite could be reused thereby furtherreducing the overall draw of an individual from the water system. Thus,each unit could achieve an allocated energy savings of between 15 and 57percent for an individual's energy footprint on the water use cycle.

Systems configured according to this disclosure are configurable to havea cleaning level of BOD<25 g/l; COD<125 mg/l, P<1.5 mg/l, SS<35 mg/l,and more preferably BOD<10 g/l; COD<75 mg/l, NH₄<5 mg/l, P<1.5 mg/l,SS<15 mg/l. The systems typically are adaptable to process between about500 and about 100,000 gallons per day, and store between about 10,000and about 1,000,000 gallons. Thus, the systems are adaptable to processbetween 65 cubic feet and about 13,368 cubic feet, and store betweenabout 1,368 cubic feet and about 133,680 cubic feet.

A variety of U.S. Patents that may be of interest to persons of skill inthe art in further understanding the implementation of this disclosureinclude, but are not limited to U.S. Pat. No. 3,930,998 Wastewatertreatment; U.S. Pat. No. 3,960,717 Process for treating waste water;U.S. Pat. No. 3,964,998 Improvements in and relating to waste watertreatment; U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,802 Removal of BOD and nitrogenouspollutants from wastewaters; U.S. Pat. No. 4,056,465 Production ofnon-bulking activated sludge; U.S. Pat. No. 4,132,637 Ozone disinfectionin waste water treatment with recycling of ozonation off gas; U.S. Pat.No. 4,153,544 Method of treating organic waste water; U.S. Pat. No.4,160,723 Method and apparatus for removal of pollutants from wastewater; U.S. Pat. No. 4,162,153 High nitrogen and phosphorous contentbiomass produced by treatment of a BOD-containing material; U.S. Pat.No. 4,173,531 Nitrification-denitrification of wastewater; U.S. Pat. No.4,202,763 High-efficient activated sludge method; U.S. Pat. No.4,415,454 Nitrification treatment of wastewater; U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,876Process and apparatus for the biological purification of wastewater,U.S. Pat. No. 4,568,462 Method of treating sewage in sewage treatmentinstallations having an adsorption stage; U.S. Pat. No. 4,693,827Process for protection of biological nitrification systems; U.S. Pat.No. 4,961,854 Activated sludge wastewater treatment process; U.S. Pat.No. 4,975,197 Orbal wastewater treatment process; U.S. Pat. No.5,316,832 Biodegradable sheet for culturing sewage denitriflers; U.S.Pat. No. 5,382,369 Waste water-treatment process; U.S. Pat. No.5,407,566 Apparatus for disposing of waste water; U.S. Pat. No.5,472,611 Process and apparatus for purification of wastewater; U.S.Pat. No. 5,531,896 Process for disposing of waste water; U.S. Pat. No.5,607,593 Installation for making water potable with submerged filteringmembranes; U.S. Pat. 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While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown anddescribed herein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art thatsuch embodiments are provided by way of example only. Numerousvariations, changes, and substitutions will now occur to those skilledin the art without departing from the invention. It should be understoodthat various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention describedherein may be employed in practicing the invention.

1. A water treatment system comprising: a settlement tank adaptable toreceive effluent from a source; at least one aerobic treatment tankconfigurable to receive a settlement tank effluent; a disinfectoradaptable to disinfect an effluent from at least one of an anaerobictreatment tank and an aerobic treatment tank; a tester configurable totest a parameter; and a controller configurable to control a process ofthe water treatment system in response to the tested parameter. 2-28.(canceled)